iPhone owners can remotely start their Tesla Model S

Remote starting and locking/unlocking of vehicles is not entirely new, but usually you do need the key fob. For Tesla Model S owners that have an iPhone that’s not a condition anymore.

Actually, remote starting via smartphone is also available at other brands – Ford’s Sync system has it, so does the OnStar system for GM vehicles and other brands, while Viper can fit it as an aftermarket remote-start-by-smartphone feature to any car. Tesla’s omission to have a smartphone remote start feature was actually a big thing – after all, the electric carmaker is more an offspring of the Silicon Valley tech world.

“What’s amazing (and surprising) for iPhone users is that they can now unlock and start their car from their devices if they forget their physical key fob at home,” says TechCrunch’s Darrell Etherington.

Well, thanks to timely software updates promised by CEO Elon Musk, Tesla has addressed the shortcoming – owners of the Model S luxury electric sedan can also start their car, all the while checking Twitter or making dinner reservations. The highly automatic Model S has recently drawn some criticism from the well-known Consumer Reports magazine – which had some electrical quality issues with their 2013 model year car.